Refrigerator car door



Fel?- 15, 1938. s. B. HAsELTlNE REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Filed Jan. so, 1955 2 sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 15, 1938. Q B HASELUNE REFBIGERATOR CAP. DOOR Filed Jan. 30, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 15, 1938 REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Stacy B. Haseltine, Chicago, Ill., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Application January 30, 1935, Serial No. 4,052

10 Claims. V(Cl. 20-23) This invention relates to improvements in refrigerator car doors.

One object of the invention is to provide a door construction for refrigerator cars comp-rising a single sliding door member for closing the door opening of the car, wherein simple and efficient mechanism in the form of door supporting crank arms at opposite ends of the top and bottom of the door, simultaneously actuated by a single operating member, is employed for either moving the door into the door opening and forcing the same tightly closed, or prying the same partly open and moving it to fully opened position, the entire actuating mechanism being so arranged and designed that the projection of the operating parts thereof will not exceed certain predetermined limits, so that the mechanism will clear the usual loading platform structures and all other obstructions encountered in standard railway practice.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the several supporting crank members are simultaneously operated in exact unison and the door is main.-

tained in constantly parallel relation to the car wall during the movement into and out of the door opening.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims herein.-

after following.

In the drawings forming `a. part of this specication, Figure 1 is a broken elevational vieW, of one side wall of a refrigerator car, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith, said view showing the door closed. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional'view, corresponding substantially to the line 2 2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a View, similar to Figure 2, showing the door in open position, said View being partly broken away. Figure 4 is a View, similar to Figure 1,

illustrating another embodiment of the invention, said View showing the lower portion only of said door. And Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional View, on an enlarged scale, corresponding substantially to the line 5--5 of Figure 4, said View being partly broken away.

In said drawings, I0 indicates the side wall 50 of a railway car, which side wall is provided with the usual door opening II closed by a single door i2. 'Ihe meeting edges of the door and door opening are beveled as is common in connection with the doors of refrigerator cars, and said bev- 55 eled edges are provided with the usual packing or insulating material in order to provide a tight seal when the door is closed.

In carrying out my invention as disclosed in Figures l, 2, and 3, and Figures Lland 5, I provide top and bottom tracks A-A for guiding the 5 door in its sliding movements. These top and bottom tracks are of the same design, but reversely arranged, that is, the bottom track opens upwardly While the upper track opens down- Wardly. Each track is of channel form in cross 10 section and is fixed to the side wall of the car. As shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, a stop casting or block I3 is provided at the left hand end of each track A. 'Ihe stop casting I3 is disposed between the side walls of the channel member 15 forming the track A and is preferably riveted to the side and bottom walls of said track.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, my improvements comprise broadly top and bottom sets 20 of supporting crank members B-B and B-B; top and bottom carriers C-C and C-C slidable in the tracks A-A and supporting the crank members B-B and B-B; a rotary actuating shaft or bar D; top and bottom rods E-E con- 25 necting the bar D to the crank members B--B and B-B; and an operating lever F.

'Ihe top and bottom carriers C-C and C-C are of like design with the exception that the bottom carriers are provided with anti-friction 30 supporting rollers III-I4, while the top carriers are not provided with such rollers. 'I'he top and bottom carriers C-C and C-C are supported for sliding movement in the guideways of the top and bottom tracks respectively. The guideway of each 35 track is defined by the side walls and bottom wall thereof. Each carrier C is provided with a vertically disposed bearing opening I5.

kThe crank members B-B and B-B are arranged in sets of tWo at the top and bottom of 40 the door, the members of each set being at opposite ends of the door. Each crank member B has a vertically disposed shaft portion I6 having a short crank arm I'l at one end and a longer crank arm I8 at the other end. The crank arm 45 I8 has a crank pin I9 at the outer end thereof, journaled in the bearing opening I5 of the corresponding carrier C. The crank arm I 'I of each crank member B has a crank pin 20 at its outer end cooperating with one of the connecting rods E. Each crank member B is also provided with a cylindrical extension` 2l at the inner end thereof, coaxial with the shaft portion and projecting inwardly beyond the inner crank arm Il. Each crank member B is rotatably supported on the door by a bearing bracket 2| having a vertical bearing opening within which the shaft portion l of said crank member is journaled. Each bearing bracket is provided with 'an extension 22 at the inner end thereof, having a ledge 23 extending laterally therefrom. The inner crank arm il of the crank member B is disposed between the ledge 23 and the bearing member proper of said bracket and is spaced from said ledge a suficient distance to accommodate the end of the corresponding rod E therebetween.

The top and bottom rods E-E are in the form of elongated bars, each bar having a transverse slot 2t midway between its ends, and a set of longitudinal and transverse slots 25 and 26 at each end thereof. rIhe slots are all closed at opposite ends and the slots 24 and 26 are at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rod or bar E. As most clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, the slots 25 and 2G of each set are so arranged that the slot 26, if extended, would intersect the slot 25 midway between the ends thereof. The upper and lower rods E-E are connected respectively to the corresponding crank members B-B, the extension 21 and the pin 20 of th-e crank member B at the corresponding end of each rod being slidingly engaged respectively in the slots 25 and 26 at said end of the rod. is clearly shown in Figures l, 2, 3, the opposite ends of each connecting rod E are overhung by the ledges of the corresponding brackets 2|, the ledges thus serving as retaining means for holding said rods in place on the bearing projections 2?-2? and crank pins 2li- 2B of the crank members B-B.

The actuating member D is in the form of a substantially flat bar and has end castings 28 and 28, in the form of crank members, fixed thereto by rivets or any other suitable securing means. The end castings 28-28 are of like design, each having an inner end section 29 provided with a socket within which the corresponding end of the bar is secured. Adjacent the section 2S, each end casting 28 has a cylindrical shaft section 3Q, which is journaled in a bearing bracket Si xed to the door l2. At the outer end of each casting 28 is provided a crank arm 32 having a crank pin 33 at its outer end slidably and rotatably accommodated in the slot 24 of the corresponding connecting rod E.

The operating lever F is pivoted to the lower end casting 28, as shown in Figure 1, and is adapted to be locked in position by means of a latch member 34 when the door is closed. The latch member 34 is of a well-known type and needs no further description.

The operation of the improved mechanism illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, is as follows,

Y assuming that the door is in the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2:

The attendant unlocks the latching means 34 so as to permit full outward swinging movement of the lever F and manually swings the lever outwardly, thereby rotating the shaft or bar D. During rotation of the bar D, the crank arms 32-32 of the end castings 29-29 will be rotated, thereby moving the connecting rod-.s E-E lengthwise while the crank pins 33-33 of these crank arms are also traveling in the slots 2li-2li of the rods lil-E. Lost motion is thus provided between the crank arms 32-32 and the connecting rods E-E, through displace-` ment of the crank pins 33-33 along the slots 2'-24 of the connecting rods. Each connecting rod E is guided for straight-line movement parallel to the face of the door l2 by the longitudinal guide slots 25-25 thereof and cooperating cylindrical bearing projections 21-21 on the crank members B-B. inasmuch as the crank pins 2il-20 of each set of crank members B-B are engaged within the slots 26-26 at opposite ends of the corresponding connecting rod E, these crank members will be rotated in unison with the operation of the bar D, thereby swinging the door outwardly away from the side wall of the car on the crank arms lli-i8 and moving the door out of the door opening. In this connection, it is pointed out that the crank arms 32-32 of the bar D are shorter than the crank arms I-I'l and l'l-I'I at the inner ends of the crank members B-B and B-B so that the angular rotation of the crank members B-B and B-B will be less than the angular rotation of the bar D. When the bar D has been rotated through an angle of 180 degrees, the door will have reached the fully opened position shown in Figure 3 and is spaced a proper distance from the outer face of the side wall of the car to permit sliding the door 1lengthwise away from the door opening. The door will be maintained in this spaced relation with respect to the car wall and held against accidental lateral displacement by the crank pins 33-33 of the crank arms of the bar D, which are at that time in the position shown in Figure 3, at the inner ends of the slots f 24-24 of the connecting rods E and in longitudinal alignment with the axis of rotation of the bar D.

As will be evident upon reference to Figure 2, the operating means is so designed that the power of the rotary operating bar D will be greatly multiplied during the initial portion of the operation of forcing the door open. The crank arms 32-32 of the bar D are disposed substantially parallel to the length of the connecting rods E-E, when the door is in the fully closed position shown in Figures l and 2, so that the crank pins 33-33 of the arms 32-32 will rapidly travel outwardly in the slots 24--24 of the connecting rods when the door opening operation is initiated. Great power multiplication is thus elfected during this stage of the operation. A further advantage of my improved construction is that the connecting rods E-E are guided in a straight-line path, parallel to the door, whereby the crank members B-B and B-B are simultaneously operated in exact unison so that the door is prevented from tilting, which might occur if one crank member is rotated to a greater extent than the others. By providing the lost motion connection between the crank arms 32--32 of the bar D and the connecting rods E-E and having the crank arms lT-I'l and I'l-I'l of the crank members B-B and B-B of greater length than the crank arms .S2- 32, a decided advantage is obtained in that the crank arms IIS-i8 and lll-I8 of suflicient length to assure proper and complete opening of the door may be employed on the crank members B-B and B-B without requiring movement of the crank members through an arc of 180 degrees, which corresponds to the angular rotation of the operating bar D. An objectionable feature in connection with former devices in which the crank arms were designed to open the door, while being rotated through an angle of 189 degrees, is that the tracks and sup-porting carriers must be placed at such a distance from the side wall of the car that the projection thereof interferes with the usual loading platforms and other obstructions encountered in standard railway practice.

In closing the door, the operation is substantially the reverse of that hereinbefore described, the door being first slid infront of the door opening is then forced into said opening by rotating the operating bar D in a reverse direction to that hereinbefore described and bringing the lever F back to the position shown in Figure l. The connecting rods are thus also moved in a direction reverse to the direction of movement thereof in opening the door, thus swinging the crank members B-B from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 2, and forcing the door tightly into the door opening as shown in Figure 2.

Referring next to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, I provide top and bottom carriers in all respects identical with the carriers C-C and C-C, hereinbefore described. The lower set of carriers only are shown in Figure 4. These carriers are indicated by C-C. As will be understood, the mechanism shown in Figures 4 and 5 is duplicated at the top of the door so that top and bottom sets of supporting crank members are pro-vided which are actuated by a single operating bar having its upper and lower ends operatively connected thereto.

As shown in Figure 4, a vertically disposed rotary operating bar G is mounted on the door, the lower bearing bracket for said bar being indicated by 50. The bar is rotated by a lever similar to the lever F, hereinbefore described. This lever is also indicated by F in Figure 4.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the bar G has a partial gear member 4I thereon engaging with teeth 12 provided on a rack bar H. The bar G is provided with a cylindrical guide portion t3, projecting beyond the gear member l and engaging in a longitudinal guide slot lit provided in the rack bar H, substantially midway between the ends thereof. In opposite ends of the rack bar H, longitudinal slots lL-t5 are provided. Immediately below each slot 45 of the rack bar is a series of rack teeth 46. Supporting crank members. K-K are rotatably mounted on the door near opposite ends thereof. Each crank member K is provided with a shaft portion 4l, journaled in a bracket i3 fixed to the door, a crank arm 49 at the outer end of said shaft section; a sector shaped gear 53 at the inner end of said shaft portion, meshing with the corresponding rack teeth 46, a cylindrical bearing projection 5t at the inner end concentric with the shaft portion lll and engaging within the slot IE5 at the corresponding end ofthe rack bar I-I; and a crank pin 5l at the outer end of the crank arm 49, journaled in a vertical bearing opening 52 of the corresponding carrier. The rack bar II rests on the sector shaped gears 53-53 and is held against unauthorized or accidental removal by flanges 54-54 on the bearing bracketsliS-eltwhich overhang the top of the rack bar H at opposite ends thereof. Each of the gears 53 is of substantially twice the radius of the gear 4l, whereby rotation of each crank member is limited to an arc of substantially degrees while the operating bar is rotated through an arc of degrees.

In the operation of the improved mechanism shown in Figures 4 and 5, the actuating lever F is swung from one side to the other, thereby rotating the bar G and, through the rack and gear connection, actuating the crank members K-K at the top and bottom of the door. The crank members will thus be swung through arcs of substantially 90 degrees to fully open the door when the bar G is rotated from left to right in said gures and move the door to tightly closed position when the bar G is rotated in a reverse direction. Inasmuch as the gears of the bar G and the crank members K-K and K-K have a two to one ratio, the power will be greatly multiplied in operating the door.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted torclose said opening; of guide tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a Vertical axis, said shaft being rotatable through an angle of 180 degrees; a top and bottom rod, respectively connecting the top pair and the bottom pair of crank members for movement in unison; means for guiding said rods for movement in a plane parallel to the door; and operating connections between said shaft and rods and between said rods and crank members for eifecting movement of said crank members through an angle of 90 degrees upon rotation of said sha-ft through an angle of 180 degrees.

2. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided'` on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier means; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis fixed with respect to the door; means for actuating said crank members through rotation of said shaft, including a connecting rod, and driving connections between said shaft and rod and between said rod and crank members for effecting angular rotation of each crank member to an amount less than the amount of angular rotation of the operating shaft and means for guiding said rod for movement in a path parallel to the plane of the door.

3. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted` on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in` the corresponding carrier means; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis fixed with respect to the door; means for actuating said crank members through rotation of said shaft, including a connecting rod, and driving connections between said shaft and rod and between said rod and crank members for effecting angular rotation of each crank member to an extent half as great as the angular rotation of the operating shaft and means for guiding said rod for movement in a path parallel to the plane of the door.

4. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotationV about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier means; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis; a crank arm at each end of saidv shaft; a crank pin at the outer end of each arm; a second crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end thereof, each of said last named crank arms being longer than the crank arms of the operating shaft; and a connecting rodi operatively connecting the crank pins of the second named arms of each pair of crank members; means for guiding said connecting rods for movement in a path parallel to the plane of the door; and a lost motion connection between each connecting rod and the crank member at the corresponding end of the voperating shaft.

5. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier means; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis; a second crank arm on each crank member; a crank pin at the outer end of each of said last named arms; a cylindrical bearing extension on each crank member coaxial with the axis of rotation thereof; a rod connecting each pair of crank members, said rod having longitudinal guide slotsr at opposite ends within which said cylindricalbearing extensions of the crank members engage, said rod having transverse guide slots at each end within which the crank pins of said second named crank arms of the crank members engage; and crank arms at opposite ends of the operating shaft, said last named arms being shorter than the second named arms of the crank members, each of said connecting rods having a transverse slot between the ends thereof within which the crank pins of the crank arms of the actuating shaft engage.

6. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks o-n said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on Veach track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier means; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis; a second crank arm on each crank member; a crank pin at the outer end of each of said last named arms; a bearing extension on each crank member, coaxial with the axis of rotation thereof; a rod connecting each pair of crank members, said rod having 1ongitudinal guide slots at opposite ends within which said bearing extension of said crank members is engaged, said rod also having transverse guide slots at opposite ends within which the crank pins of the second named crank arms of the crank members are engaged; and means at opposite ends of said operating shaft for effecting endwise movement of the connecting rods when said shaft is rotated;

7. In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier means; anoperating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis; a gear member on each cra-nkY member; a gear member at each end of the operating shaft, said last named gear being of lesser radius than said first named gears; and a rack bar'at each end of the operating shaft, each rack bar having rack teeth cooperating with the gear at the corresponding end of the shaft and the gears of the corresponding pair of crank members.

8. Ina door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a doorv adapted to close said opening; of guide' tracks on said wall member above and below said door opening; carrier means slidably guided on each track; a pair of top and a pair of bottom crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes; a crank arm on each crank member having a crank pin at the outer end journaled in the corresponding carrier means; an operating shaft on said door rotatable about a vertical axis; a gear on each crank member; a coaxial bearing extension on each crank member; a gear at each end of the operating shaft, said last named gear being of lesser radius than said rst named gears; and a rack bar at each end of the operating shaft, each rack bar having longitudinal guide slots at opposite ends thereof within which the bearing extensions of the corresponding crank members are engaged, each rack bar having teeth cooperating with the gear at the corresponding end of the shaft and the gears of the corresponding pair of crank members.

9; In a door construction for cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of a vertically disposed operating shaft rotatably mounted on said door; a bar mounted on said door for reciprocating movement lengthwise of the door; means for guiding said bar for movement in a path parallel to the plane of the door; means operatively connecting the bar to said rotary shaft to impart reciprocating movement to said bar, comprising a transverse guide slot in said bar and a crank arm on said shaft having a crank pin at the outer end thereof engaged in said slot; a pair of crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes, each crank member having top and bottom crank arms provided with crank pins at the outer ends thereof; carrier means in which the crank pins of the bottom arms are journaled; a track for guiding said carrier means lengthwise of the car; and relatively short transverse slots in said bar in which the crank pins ofl said top crank arms are journaled and guided for movement lengthwise of said slots.

l0. In a door construction for cars having awall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of a guide track on said Wall member; carrier means slidably guided on said track; a pair of supporting crank members mounted on the door for rotation about vertical axes, each crank member having a crank arm pvotally connected at the outer end thereof to said carrier means for swinging movement in horizontal planes; an operating shaft on the door mounted for rotation about a vertical axis; means operatively connecting said operating bar to said crank members including a horizontally disposed reciprocating connecting bar, a crank arm on said shaft having a crank pin rotatably and slidingly engaged in a transverse guide slot in said bar, and additional crank arms on said crank membershaving crank pins rotatably and slidingly engaged in additional transverse guide slots in said bar; a cylindrical guide portion on each crank member coaxial with the axis of rotation thereof; and longitudinally disposed guide slots in said bar through Which said cylindrical guide portions extend for guiding said bar for lengthwise movement in a path parallel to the plane of the door.

STACY B. HASELTINE.

CII 

